Dez focused on beating the Giants, motivated by last season’s replay-negated miracle catch

ARLINGTON – Even as they trudged their way through their long five-game preseason, the Dallas Cowboys spent plenty of time preparing for the opener against the New York Giants on Sept. 8.

“You already know we’ve been on it,” receiver Dez Bryant said of watching tape of the Cowboys’ split with the Giants last season. “We’re ready. Not trying to give you all too much, but the tape’s been watched.”

Even the closing seconds of the 29-24 October home loss to the Giants in which Bryant scored what appeared to be the game-winning 37-yard touchdown with a catch at the back of the end zone of a Tony Romo heave?

The play was overturned when replay showed one of the fingers of Bryant’s right hand was out of bounds, a cruel moment for Dallas that caused them to fall short of their rally from a 23-0 second quarter deficit.

“Oh, man…I don’t even think about it,” Bryant said Thursday night after the Cowboys’ reserves closed the preseason in embarrassing fashion, losing 24-6 to Houston.

After a pause, Bryant came clean, saying, “I lied. I do.”

As the coaches, rookies and on-the-bubble players fret about Saturday’s roster cuts to the NFL-mandated 53-man limit, veterans like Bryant and linebacker Sean Lee are focused solely on the Giants.

The Cowboys are 0-4 against the Eli Manning-led Giants at AT&T Stadium, with New York scoring 29 or more points in each game.

“I think we understand how tough the Giants are to beat,” Lee said.

The game will kick off Sunday Night Football. With a win on the primetime stage, Dallas would send a message to the NFC East that it intends to contend for its first division crown since 2009, which is also the last time the Cowboys made the playoffs.

But in a sign that he’s matured, Bryant quickly downplayed any talk of the game as a tone-setter for the season.

“I kind of step back from that, setting the tone, because this is a long season,” said Bryant, echoing a message heard often from coach Jason Garrett. “Once you win, you’ve just got to put it behind you and focus on the task at hand. You can’t look ahead. You’ve got to realize there’s another team we’ve got to face that next week.”

Bryant finished the preseason with 13 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown, an impressive showing considering it came in limited work.

“He’s unbelievable, how much energy he brings every single day,” receiver Miles Austin said of Bryant. He can do great things out there. I’m looking forward to helping and also watching some other times.”

One thing Bryant is bound to watch before the Giants come to town is his near miracle catch against them in late October.

“It just makes me want to get out there that much more and try to do everything right, to try not to get into that position again,” Bryant said.